


Two Gaia's

by lunardragonfly



Category: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 04:42:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5525789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunardragonfly/pseuds/lunardragonfly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a gift fic I made for washingtondlc on tumblr for secret santa! It's a Clack story about Zack, a fairy tale SOLDIER who comes to the modern world where he meets up with Cloud and Aerith. When Aerith realizes it's her fault Zack ended up in their Gaia, she tried to right the wrong while Zack gets closer to Cloud.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Gaia's

            It was 9p.m and most people were back at their homes and settling down for sleep or out with friends, enjoying the pleasantly warm summer night. However, this late night found one lone person still working at Highwind& Co.’s auto repair shop. Kross street was relatively quiet now that every other repair business was closed on the street. Cloud was taking advantage of the silence and warm weather while he worked on a badly damaged motorcycle out in the back of the shop. He was quietly humming a melody to himself while he worked on a component meant for the exhaust system.

            Cloud was so caught up in his task that he did not even hear the fence door opening and closing. He only became aware that somebody was walking up to him when they were a few feet away. The gravel crunched under the feet of the new comer, and even though they were silhouetted in the light, Cloud knew who it was and he gave her a smile.

            “I’m not surprised to find you out here.”

            “Don’t see why you would be. The night scene isn’t really my idea of enjoyment.” Cloud was piecing together the exhaust system for the motorcycle.

            “I think you would if you found the right person to enjoy it with…” Aerith grinned at the look Cloud set her with; it was the same look of exasperation whenever she brought up the topic of his romantic life.

            “Aerith,” Cloud started as he resumed his work. “As much as I…appreciate...you playing matchmaker for me on your off time, I just do not have any interest.”

            Aerith scowled slightly at the statement. She knew that he had some interest in finding a boyfriend, it was just the guys around here did not share the same type of interests. Cloud enjoyed his mechanics and automobiles, he enjoyed video games but it went beyond that for him. He also enjoyed his hiking and camping excursions into the mountains and forests, he loved doing extreme sports too. This was something most people did not enjoy doing, especially on the same frequent basis that Cloud did whenever the weather was good enough and he had the time. She had come to the belief that Cloud had just given up and was now playing it off. This was something Aerith could not allow, not for her best friend at least.

            “Cloud, you know as well as I do that there is someone out there who can add that spark to your life. The only time I see you away from this shop is either to bathe, eat, sleep or go on a date-“

            “Forced date” Cloud muttered under his breath but Aerith continued as if she never heard him.

            “-and you spend every other minute of your time here. I know you enjoy repairing these things but now I think you’re just hiding from life. You don’t even play those video games; you haven’t even opened up the new one you bought four months ago!”

            “That means nothing, ask any gamer. Some games lay dormant on a shelf for a year or more before they are played. It’s just nice that the game is there for when you want to play it.”

            “Fine, but then at least come out with me. We haven’t really been able to hang out at a place besides your work. Come out with me, I want to go out and enjoy the night. You won’t let an innocent and defenseless young lady go out on the town by herself, will you?”

            Cloud looked up at her for a moment before laughing. Aerith was incorrigible when she wanted to be and the face she pulled told Cloud that he would not be allowed to finish his work in peace. In truth Cloud just wanted to finish the bike that evening but he had to agree that he did do quite a lot on it that day. When he had started in the morning parts of the bike needed to be replaced on top of a paint job. He was happy he had the parts, which is why it did not take him so long to piece together the exhaust system and engine but the frame and paint work could be left for the next day.

            “Let me just go wash up and I’ll take you out on the town.” Cloud smirked as he walked away.

            He entered the bathroom meant for employees, which was really just used by him, and he began to wash up. As he made himself presentable he reflected on his life so far. He had to admit that some part of him was a bit lonely but he did not feel like it was justifiable. He had Aerith, who had quickly become his best friend, and like a sister, he had his Uncle Cid and Aunt Shera, he became closer friends with Tifa when he returned to Nibelheim for his mother’s funeral. He had a few friendly acquaintances; he was never one to keep too many friends anyways. He had his work, his pastimes and interests that kept him entertained. Cloud was not going to settle for someone who could not at least share some of his interests. Most guys that he met were just not all together interesting themselves; Cloud found himself falling asleep during his last date.

            Cloud sighed as he turned the taps off. He really did need to go out more with Aerith. She was right; he had been spending more time in the shop than was necessary. It was then that Cloud decided he would go out and enjoy himself tonight because he deserved it damn it. Just as Uncle Cid would tell him; ‘Kid, life will pass you by and before you know it you will be faced with regrets unless you go out there and enjoy and experience your life.’

            When he returned back outside he found Aerith sitting in his vacated seat, looking at the stars.

            “Time to go.” He said after closing up the shop.

            Aerith smiled and stood up. “I want to go get a drink at that new bar on Markenstreet.”

            Cloud shrugged and Aerith snaked her arm around his. They ended up going to the new bar and decided to stay. Cloud ended up enjoying their home brewed stout and stayed with it while Aerith tried their seasonal beers. Cloud was mildly impressed that she was able to hold her alcohol so well.By the end of the night Aerith had tried all six of their seasonal brews and declared that the strawberry was the best and the cherry the worst.Cloud helped Aerith back to her house, which wasn’t too far from his own, and made sure she was alright before leaving to his own. It was only at one in the morning when Cloud entered his apartment again. He kicked the door closed, locked it and threw his keys on a hallway table. He shoved his boots to the side before going to his bathroom.

            Cloud smiled as he washed up for bed. He had enjoyed himself tonight, talking and joking with his best friend. Cloud walked to his bedroom and flopped down on his bed. It didn’t take long until sleep took him; he was thoroughly exhausted after today.

            Sleep, however, wasn’t coming so easily for Aerith. After Cloud had left her, she went to take a quick shower; she hated going to bed dirty. She felt tired enough and found it easy to settle in bed but when she closed her eyes sleep did not want to come to her. She turned this way and that but it never came to her. Deciding that sleep was not coming for her, Aerith left her bed, got a cup of tea and settled on her couch.

            Aerith knew it was because of her worry for Cloud that she could not sleep. Cloud was lonely; he had been for a while. Back in Midgar they both thought that maybe it was a type of homesickness. Not so much for Nibelheim but perhaps for his family and the area. After graduation, Cloud decided to go work at his uncle’s autoshop. Aerith followed behind him not too long after and set up her flower store. They had been here for five years now, close to his uncle and aunt.

            Still, Aerith could tell her best friend was still feeling lonely. The guys she set him up with had fit some of the criteria but it never hit off. She swore up and down to Cloud that she was stopping at this matchmaking scheme. Even Aerith agreed that the men of this town weren’t what either of them wanted in a lifelong partner.

_‘But Cloud deserves someone special, fun, loving, outgoing, **interesting** ’_Aerith thought as she looked up at her bookshelf, someone like the characters in her favorite fairytale book. She got the book and settled back into her seat. It was an old leather bound book her mother had given to her before she passed away. It was full of old fairytales from a long dead people that most of the world had forgotten about. Aerith opened it up to one of her favorite stories and began reading it. The fairytale followed the heroic SOLDIERs created by the planet following the disappearance of the Cetra after the fight against a creature called Jenova. They were sworn to protect the peoples of Gaia and search for any Cetra that might be in hiding.

            Aerith loved reading the stories about the adventures of these heroic SOLDIERs, of their brave and inspiring General and Commanders who could win against almost any enemy. She especially loved following the few tales of one young SOLDIER, a nameless black hair youth, who was always trying to be a major hero. She secretly thought he was a hero in these stories; he was always helping the humans and his comrades. Aerith wished Cloud could find someone as perfect as this nameless character.

            “Planet,” she whispered as she grasped at her stone pendant that hung around her neck. “Mother said that if I ever needed anything then I should ask. I want my friend to meet someone as brave, fun and intelligent as this character. There must be _someone_ on this world that matches up to him. Please…help.”

            Sleep eventually came for the young woman as she read her favorite stories. She fell asleep thinking about the young SOLDIER in the fairytale, her hand still wrapped around her stone. She missed the soft green glow the stone gave off sometime during the night.

 

            The following morning found Cloud up early enough, the after effects of his tipsiness wore off during the night. Cloud was a creature of habit when it came to his morning routine and no matter how tired he was, after 7 am he found it difficult to go back to sleep. Even though the autoshop was only supposed to open at 10 am today, Cloud still went in early every morning. It gave him time to catch up on any side projects or last minute repairs.

            By 7:30, Cloud was washed, dressed and had his quick breakfast. He wanted to get to the shop to finish up on that truck he received the other day. He was planning on driving it around for a while to see if his repairs had fixed that sound the customer had complained about. This early in the morning there was little traffic to contend with and he wanted to maximize on that. So by 7:50 Cloud was pulling up to the autoshop on his motorcycle and storing it away for the day.

            “Alright, let’s get you checked out.” Cloud said as he walked up to the truck. He climbed inside and turned on the ignition. “No problematic sound so far. Maybe you’ll be a good boy and work fine now.” Getting out of Rockettown was no problem, just as Cloud had anticipated. The crowds of people and traffic were nothing during this early hour. The roads he used to escape this town were not frequented by those people trying to get to their jobs.

            Cloud planned to test drive it a few miles around the deserted area. It was peaceful in this early morning hour. The sky was a nice bright blue out here, the sun was warm but not yet hot, the birds were still out trying to get their late breakfast. Cloud drove with one arm out of the open window, enjoying the breeze on his face. Cloud was put into a gentle lull, which is why when he saw a random person out here in the barren land just wandering around; he was startled out of his peaceful stillness.

            From a distance Cloud could just make out that this wandering person was a male with dark wild hair. As he came closer Cloud was able to make out more detailed features, especially since he seemed to have caught the stranger’s attention. Cloud debated about pulling over for this man; who knows what this guy could be capable of and Cloud was all alone out here. Still, as he pulled in closer he could see the utter confusion and apprehension written all over this rather attractive young male. He didn’t seem to be any older than Cloud himself, but he did seem very out of place. His clothes were…different, something Cloud had never seen before. The man wore a black sleeveless knit top and black pants, a stomach guard with a symbol engraved on it, and black combat boots. The guy was also amazingly ripped and very tall. Cloud vaguely wondered as he pulled to a stop if this man came from a costume party and was dumped out here as a prank by his friends during their drunken haze.

            “Hey,” Cloud called over the man, “are you okay?”

            The black haired man gave Cloud a hesitant smile as he walked towards him. Cloud noted that the man did not step too close to the trunk.

            “Um…I think I’m…kinda lost?” He said with a shrug.

            “You’re near Rockettown. Did you get dumped here by your friends after your party?”

            “Party? I wasn’t at any party. Last thing I remember I was getting ready to go to sleep. I had to be up early for training with my mentor…well friend now, he’s not really my mentor anymore, but at one time he was!”

            “Oh….o...kay,” Cloud raised an eyebrow at the small ramble from the clearly nervous man. “So…military?”

            “Yeah, of course. Don’t recognize the SOLDIER insignia?”

            “…Sure,” Cloud was confused and a bit troubled by the way this man was talking. Maybe he had something wrong with him, perhaps he had been out here longer than Cloud thought and needed medical attention. He was clearly a bit delusional. “Look, I’m going back into town. Why don’t you get in and I’ll bring you to a doctor.”

            “Get in? To that thing? What is it anyways?”

            “It’s a truck, you know, a motor vehicle.”

            It was now the other man’s turn to raise an eyebrow, but he made no move to follow Cloud’s request. “Is this one of those wacky new inventions you guys are working on?”

            Cloud did not know how to respond. He knew that this guy was obviously sick and needed help but he needed to find a way to get him inside the truck. Biting his lip, Cloud decided to play along for a bit if it meant he could get him into town.

            “What’s your name?” Cloud asked, if he was going to play along then he much rather have a name to call this attractive stranger by.

            “Zackary Fair, but everybody just calls me Zack. What’s yours?”

            “I’m Cloud.”

            “Not a name you hear every day. Don’t think I’ve ever heard someone named Cloud before.”

            “Yeah, it’s definitely unique. How long have you been out here for?”

            “Since last night. Like I said, I was getting ready for bed and then the next thing I know I’m out here. I bet it’s a prank though, something Genesis did. Probably playing with that new teleportation material and used it on me.”

            “Oh yeah? That would suck. Not much of a friend if he did that.” Cloud was deeply confused but decided to keep his responses general. He just hoped he would say the right thing.

            “Truth be told, I know I did him wrong but I don’t deserve this! How far did he teleport me? I could be on the other side of the continent because I don’t recognize this place or that town name, Rickettown?”

            “Rocket…Rockettown.”

            “Erugh,” Zack sighed, his shoulders slumping a bit as he took another look at the landscape.

            “Zack,” said man looked straight at Cloud and Cloud was momentarily silenced. Zack’s eyes were glowing bright around the iris, into something you see every day. “Why…why don’t you come back into town? Come into the vehicle,” Cloud said as he leaned over and opened the passenger door. “We can get out of the growing heat and get you something to eat. You must be hungry.”

            Zack eyed the vehicle wearily. He seemed to be stuck but in the end he started for the door. He climbed in and settled in the seat, closing the door behind him. Cloud showed him how to buckle his seat belt before he began driving.

            “Whoa!” Zack looked around. He seemed to settle a bit and eventually started to enjoy himself. “Much faster than a chocobo, that’s for sure.”

            “Yeah, it is.” Cloud wanted to get to know this person more but he wasn’t the greatest conversationalist; that was Aerith. Zack seemed to be a nice guy, just nervous. It also helped that he was attractive. _God, I hope you’re not crazy_. Cloud thought as he continued driving, this man was so handsome and Cloud wanted a chance to get to know him a bit better. _What do I say? What would Aerith say? She would be blunt, right?_ “So, Zack…why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself?”

            Zack looked over at Cloud and gave him a toothy smile and Cloud felt his heart skip a beat. Goddamn, this stranger was handsome. “Sure!” Zack went silent for a few seconds as he thought of something, drumming his hands against his thighs.

           During those few seconds Cloud vaguely wished that he could feel those thighs. The moment that thought crossed his mind though he turned beet red. _How long has it been? Too long obviously_.

            “So, I come from a village in the jungle,” Zack began to speak and startled Cloud out of his dirty thoughts. “It’s called Gongaga. I was one of the three children marked by the Goddess in my village to become a SOLDIER. You know how it is; I was raised by my parents for a while before being taken back to the Temple to start my training. I lucked out though; Commander Hewley himself joined the group of Third Class SOLDIERs that came to get the three of us. Usually First Class SOLDIERs don’t come but Angeal did that time. He said it was because he was told by the Goddess to come, something Commander Rhapsodos told him. Genesis can speak with the Goddess, one of the few that can anymore. Ever since the Cetra disappeared after they fought Jenovathere aren’t many who can speak to the Goddess, or hear the Planet.”

            Cloud just nodded through the explanation, feeling his theory become more and more concrete by every sentence.

            “I was trained at the Temple and Angeal eventually took me in, he became my mentor. I flew through the training and became a Second Class SOLDIER rather quickly. I’m actually a First now, one of the youngest. Only the General was younger than me when he became a First. I narrowly beat out Genesis, he has _never_ forgiven me for that, but pfft, I don’t really care. He has a lot of feathers in his cap.”

           “And this Genesis or Angeal, where could we find them?”

           Cloud could see Zack giving him an odd look, as if this is something he should already know. Internally Cloud was panicking; he was worried that he somehow screwed up this fantasy poor Zack had created.

            “They’re in the City.” Cloud felt that Zack was being deliberately vague.

            “Oh, yeah, of course. I just thought, you know, maybe there were somewhere close by…like on a mission.”

            “Oh! No.” Zack smiled briefly before looking out the window.

            “So, I was thinking about going to the clinic first. To make sure you’re alright.”

            “I am, the mako in SOLDIERs ensures that we’re alright. Maybe not if a limb is torn off but a broken leg can heal in under two days, depending on the break and amount of mako inside the SOLDIER. I’m perfectly fine, just a bit hungry.” Zack gave a sheepish look as he patted his stomach.

            “Well, how about we go to my work. I can order out some food and we can eat there. Maybe someone will come by for you?”

            “Yeah, that sounds good. What kind of work do you do?”

            “I repair motor vehicles like this one. Mostly cars, sometimes motorcycles though.”

            “This is a car?” Zack asked, almost sounding sure of himself.

            “Yeah, and a motorcycle is a transport that is on two wheels. I’ll show you mine. I made it myself actually. It has compartments for my swords as well.”

            The mention of swords seemed to perk Zack up. He looked over at the blonde in a new light. Usually it was just SOLDIERs who used swords, not many humans used them because they depended on the SOLDIERs to protect them. To come across a human who actually used them was a rarity and interesting. He could possibly spar with this blonde man before one of his friends came to get him. He hoped it was Angeal and Genesis; he’d secretly like to see Angeal reprimand his hot tempered friend for this debacle.

            “So you fight with swords? What type? Just one or two? Are you left handed or right handed?”

            “Um, I can fight with more than one blade. It’s like a fusion sword; there are different blades the fit into one. I can fight with both hands, I trained myself to incase one side gets injured.”

            “Awesome, that’s pretty smart. It’s rare that we hear of humans that fight with swords. I’d like to spar with you if we have a chance. You know, after you’re done work and all?”

            “Maybe, we’ll see.” Cloud was nearing the town by now and was debating if he should just drive to the clinic. What could Zack do? But if he refused, Cloud hardly wanted to create a scene. Sighing softly, he decided to just bring Zack to the autoshop. He would grab some breakfast for them both and try to find some odd job he could stick Zack on.

            “I’d like to see them, if I could. So you have more of these contraptions in your shop?”

            “Huh? Oh, yeah. I fix them. You’ve never seen one before?”

            “Nope. I get around on chocobo’s. You’ve heard of those before right?”

            “Yeah. We use them for transportation still. Also food.”

            “They are tasty, that’s for sure. I wonder if you’re as tasty too,” Zack winked at Cloud and chuckled at his own joke.

            Cloud was stunned, was this guy flirting? With him? “What..?” was all he could manage.

            “Because you sorta look like a chocobo. Your hair, it’s spiky like a chocobo’s crest.”

            “Oh,” He couldn’t help the small glower that crossed his face. It wasn’t the first time he was compared to a chocobo. “your hair is spiky too. Or is it just wild from being outside all night.”

            “Nope, it’s spiky. Never saw someone else with spiky hair before though. You’re a first.” Zack flashed him another toothy grin. Cloud found himself smiling back.

            “Like a porcupine,” he said softly to himself. He thought it was low enough that Zack wouldn’t hear it; he barely heard the words leave his own mouth.

            “Porcupine?! It doesn’t look like that!” Zack looked mildly offended but Cloud noticed a hint of laughter in his eyes when he looked at him quickly.

            “Sure it does. Just like their butts.” Cloud grinned at Zack’s scoff.

            His passenger fell quiet as they pulled through town. Zack was taking in his surroundings and it gave Cloud a few quiet moments to processes a few things. Zack seemed to be in good enough health but he kept calling Cloud human, as if he wasn’t one himself. He also had strangely good hearing since he heard that porcupine comment.

            Cloud pulled up to one of his favorite breakfast restaurants and decided to leave Zack in the car. He wasn’t up to playing 20 questions right now with this man and just wanted to get their meals. He got two waffle platters with the bacon and sausage and fruit. When he returned to the car, Cloud was happy to see Zack was still inside. He handed the take out containers to Zack and drove back to the shop.

            He brought them in through the back incase one of the other employees were around. It was close to 10 so he wouldn’t be surprised if a few were slowly coming in by now.  Cloud brought Zack into his office where he set out their breakfasts. Zack was taking in his surroundings but stayed quiet, something Cloud appreciated very much. He didn’t know how long he could keep playing along. He had work to do but he didn’t want to leave Zack alone. He was worried about his safety, this man obviously didn’t know where he was and Cloud was not the type of person to just kick a person out that hasn’t warranted it.

            “Here,” Cloud gave Zack a knife and fork to eat his meal.

            “Thanks, I owe you.” Zack had a gorgeous smile; he seemed to smile a lot Cloud thought. He watched Zack while he ate his own breakfast. Zack seemed to enjoy every bit of the food. He claimed to never have had waffles before but declared them delicious.

            “I have to do some work today.” Cloud started. Zack stared at him with an unreadable look. “So…maybe you could help me. There’s some smaller things I’ve been meaning to get around to.”

            “Sure. It’s the least I can do. Whatcha going to have me doing boss?”

            “Some sorting.Just pieces of metal. Like nuts and bolts, stuff like that. I’ll show you.” Cloud said when Zack gave him a confused look.

            They finished their breakfasts and went back into the shop. Cloud showed Zack his motorcycle, after Zack reminded him that he would. Zack was thoroughly amazed and got Cloud to promise to teach him how to ride it. Zack seemed honest when he said that he had never seen these vehicles before. He seemed so sure in his convictions about his world; a world he seemed to think was this one. Cloud briefly showed him his blades and Zack loved them. Cloud was amazed at how strong Zack was when he picked up the fusion sword as if it was the lightest thing in the world. It was a heavy blade and it took much of Cloud’s time to build up the necessary muscle for it, he got these blades when he was 25 and now at 28 he was finally able to use them altogether with ease. An ease that seemed to just come to Zack who was going through some kata’s with his fusion sword.

            Cloud didn’t mind though, he quite enjoyed the view. Zack had a very nice body; and the muscles in his arms and back showed while he went through his motions.

            “You have your own sword?” Cloud had asked.

            “Yeah. I’ve practiced with a variety of them but I enjoy the broader swords. Angeal has one he calls the Buster sword, I want one just like it. Actually, it almost looks like this one but not quite. This is a very nice sword Cloud. Kinda jealous.” Zack had handed back the sword with a wink, squeezing Cloud shoulder with his other hand. Cloud had turned red and prayed that Zack did not see the blush. Doubtful.

            Soon after, Cloud showed Zack what he wanted him to do. It was a simply task, just organize some odd ends that he actually hadn’t gotten around to but need it done. It took a while before Zack finally settled down to doing his task. He was more interested in what Cloud was repairing on the motorcycle. The blonde man was alright with showing him, even though he found it tiresome after a while. He enjoyed having the handsome Zack hanging so close to him. He could tell Zack didn’t have any problem with it either with the way he was flirting with Cloud.

            Cloud guessed that it was probably one of Zack’s personality traits, being a charmer. He was quick with replies and conversation. He asked questions about the how motorcycles and cars worked, he also reminded Cloud of his promise to teach him how to ride one of them. He let Zack do some minor components, whether it was attaching a bit of metal or playing gopher for parts around the shop. Zack was just happy to help out with the repair process of this motorcycle.

            At one point Cloud was having a troubling time getting at a piece because of the awkward position. He was amazed when Zack practically lifted the motorcycle and tilted it just so Cloud could get better access. He had stared at the black spiky hair man, who returned his look with a smug smirk and a tilt of his head. Cloud blushed beet red once more before hiding his face by working on the bike.

            Zack felt very satisfied by Cloud’s reaction. Oh yes, he was definitely trying to impress this cutie and he knew he was doing a fine job of it. They had a rocky start but these past few hours Zack felt like he was getting in his zone finally, and he was pulling Cloud out of his shell. He knew an introvert when he saw one and Cloud was definitely a quiet man. When Cloud told him to put the bike down he did it with a smooth flourish that would impress Genesis.

            Zack watched Cloud for a while before deciding that he should get to sorting those metal pieces he was shown before. He had shown off enough in front of this cute chocobo. He asked Cloud some basics of where he wanted the sorted pieces to go before he was left alone with them.

            Cloud was happy to be given the free moment in order to go call Aerith. He made sure that Zack was plenty occupied before going around the corner and making that call.

            “Hello?” came her pleasant greeting.

            “Aerith?! I need your help. I have this guy here at my shop that I picked up on the side of the road. I can’t get himto go to the clinic and I’m sure he has something wrong with him, like heat stroke but not heat stroke since he spent all night outside.”

            “Um…what?” Aerith was alarmed by Cloud’s tone and his rambling.

            Cloud tried again and forced himself to calm down. “This morning I took the truck out for a drive and I came across this guy in the desert. I picked him up because he needed help. He has this fantasy world created in his head about being a SOLDIER, something about and I’m sure he is delusional. He doesn’t seem crazy, he’s normalish except for this fantasy. I mean, he has parts of our world mixed in with his but I dunno. He refuses to go to the clinic and I need to get some work done but I don’t want him to go out alone. He doesn’t seem to know where he is at all.”

            “Cloud, stay calm. What is his name?”

            “Zack. Zackary Fair but he likes Zack.”

            “Well, keep him with you for now. I’ll come by soon. I’m sure I can leave the store to my employee for a little while.”

            “Thank you!”

            Cloud closed the phone and leaned against the wall. He walked back into the shop after he had properly gathered himself.

            “Zack, a friend of mine is going to come by. She’s very nice, you’ll like her-“

            He stopped midsentence when he looked at Zack. Zack had stopped what he was doing, he wore an unreadable expression but Cloud could feel a sense of sadness. He had his arms on the table but seemed to be staring at nothing in particular. He didn’t even look up when Cloud came closer to him.

            “Zack?”

            “This isn’t my world…is it?” his voice was somber, heavy.

            “No. It isn’t.” Cloud knew that to go along with the charade anymore would be harmful.

            “In my world we don’t have these cars or motorcycles. We have chocobos. In my world, the citizens know what a SOLDIER is, and they definitely know who the Commanders and General are. You don’t. You think I’m crazy, delusional. I heard you talking to your friend, Aerith.” Zack looked away from the table and to the floor.

            Nothing about this seemed right to Cloud. He wanted to think Zack was delusional but it didn’t seem to fit. Zack seemed so sure of his convictions and there was a niggling voice in the back of Cloud’s mind that kept saying to believe. Believe him, he’s not from here. The logical side of Cloud refused to accept that though.

            “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you Zack. It’s just that…what you’re talking about…SOLDIERs, magic, materia, this Angeal and Genesis, they don’t exist. There’s nothing like that in this world.”

            “They do exist.” Zack said, his words clipped.

            “Maybe, but not here.”

            Zack didn’t like this at all, what had happened? He was so sure Genesis had used that teleportation materia on him but he had begun to doubt himself when this Cloud pulled up in a truck. He had been doubting himself all day and it was starting to scare him. Now this blonde man was telling him that two people he had known since he was a child, two of his best friends, were just figments of his imagination? That he was somehow crazy?

            Zack stood up suddenly, faster than he had wanted to and it surprised Cloud. Zack was like a blur with that one motion and faced Cloud with a hardlook. Zack had heard enough; he wasn’t going to stay around someone who thought he was crazy. He would find his own way back, now he understood why Cloud wanted him to go to a clinic. He had enjoyed his time with Cloud; Zack had thought they had something forming but he was wrong and it hurt him a bit. He wasn’t going to stick around and try to convince Cloud, he was panicking enough inside on his own. He just wanted to be somewhere where everything made sense again. He wanted to wake up from this nightmare!

            “Thank you, Cloud, for everything. I think I’ll be going now though.”

            “Wait! No, please don’t leave. My friend will be here soon. She can help you.”

            “Why? You think she will convince me that I’m not all right in the head? I’m not crazy. I know that and I know how to discern reality from fantasy and my memories, my life is no fantasy.”

            When Cloud didn’t respond fast enough Zack brushed past him. Cloud tried to grab him but was surprised with the speed the Zack evaded him. It was like he wasn’t even human. The gears in Cloud’s head stopped turning and the voice that was an annoying tiny voice began to shout at him. He wasn’t human, Zack wasn’t human. No human could move in flashes like that or lift a motorcycle like he did before.

            Cloud continued following Zack outside though. When the door to the back of the lot opened Cloud’s heart stopped but then he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was Aerith coming through.

            “Aerith!” Cloud called out his relief

            When Aerith came through the door she was expecting to find some strange man hanging around Cloud but the man standing in this lot was extremely familiar. She felt her jaw dropping as she took in the black spiky haired young man in front of her. It was that SOLDIER from her fairy tale, the very same one she always read about. There he was, standing in the autoshop back lot with andistressed look on his face.

            “You’re that guy.” Aerith blurted out

            Zack blinked at her in surprise; of all the things he had expected to hear her say it was not any words of recognition. Neither was Cloud because she could see the odd look he had aimed at her.

            “The SOLDIER, from all of those adventures.”

            “What?” both males asked in unison, one in disbelief and the other with hope.

            “You know of me? You know who I am?” Zack asked as he walked up to her. For the first time since Cloud had pulled up in his truck, Zack was feeling a sense of hope.

            “Yeah…except, well…it’s complicated. Maybe we should discuss this elsewhere?”

            “Aer, what did you do?” Cloud asked with a stern expression, a hand on one hip.

            “I think it would be best if we talked about this at my place. It’s private and I can show you the proof.”

            Cloud did not like this direction and none of what Aerith was saying had cleared up any of his confusion.Cloud agreed and took the rest of the day off. It wasn’t like he didn’t deserve it with all the overtime he put in, as far as he was concerned. Cloud brought Zack to Aerith’s apartment while she ran back to reluctantly close up for the day. She didn’t really want to but this situation called for it, especially since she might have been the cause for Zack’s situation.

            They entered Aerith’s apartment and took off their boots. Cloud could feel the tension between the two of them and felt sorry for it. Here was a seemingly great guy who just melded with him and Cloud had put a wedge between them. He kicked himself mentally over and over again. Looking at Zack he could see the mix of hope and fear in those beautiful unworldly blue eyes.

            Zack walked over to the couch and sat down on it, reclining against the arm of the couch. He watched Cloud from where he sat; the chocobo seemed uncomfortable and out of place. He stood close to the doorframe of the living room with his hands in his pockets. Zack still felt hurt by Cloud’s reaction but he had time to think about it on their silent walk to this woman’s apartment. Pushing past his emotions, as Sephiroth always told him to; he started to think about the entire situation. He wasn’t took sure he would have reacted any differently than Cloud if the roles had been reversed. What if Cloud had appeared in his world talking about cars and Rickettown, _Rocket_ town, Zack mentally corrected himself. He might have thought Cloud was a bit loose in the head too. Besides, they did have something going on back in the shop. Cloud seemed like a decent guy, someone who was actually interested in Zack as Zack Fair and not Zack, First Class SOLDIER, friend of the General and Commanders.

            “Hey.” Zack called to get Cloud’s attention. He gave Cloud a smile, hoping to put the younger male at ease. “Come sit down. Maybe you can tell me more about your time in university? Or something else if you’d like? You know, while we wait for Aerith.”

            “Uh yeah, how about I get us something to drink first? Do you want like water, juice, beer?”

            Zack quietly chuckled at Cloud’s stumbling sentence. “I think I’ll have a beer.”

            Cloud nodded before disappearing around the corner. Zack could hear the young man open the fridge and pull out the bottles. The gentle padding of socked feet announced his return down the hallway and he soon rounded the corner, two open bottles of beer in his hands. Cloud hesitated briefly before walking over to the couch and sitting beside the rather relaxed looking Zack. Zack leaned forward and took his bottle, making sure to brush his fingers against Cloud’s.

            “Cloud, I want to talk to you about before. Back in the shop-“

            “It’s alright,” Cloud hastily interrupted Zack.

            Zack fixed Cloud with a puzzled look, “What’s alright?”

            “You just-you don’t need to bring it up. I’m sorry. I-it’s just that- I didn’t want to hurt you. You seem like a really nice guy Zack. Really interesting, it was fun being around you. I didn’t want – mean to hurt you. I’m sorry.” Cloud took a swing of his beer.

            “Oh…well, look, yeah I was hurt. Still kinda am, I guess. But I’m not upset with you, well anymore I mean. I was at the beginning but I had time to think about it. If our roles were reversed then I might think you’re the crazy one…talking about cars and whatnot. They don’t exist in my world.” Zack tried a reassuring smile to the unsure looking chocobo cutie. “I had a lot of fun with you. It was, I dunno, easy to be with you today. I’ve never been around someone where that type of ease just happens. It was nice, relaxing. I don’t want that to go away because of this nightmarish mishap.”

             Zack looked down at his beer bottle, trying to think about how to continue what he wanted to say. He could feel Cloud’s eyes on him.

            “Back in my world, I was…people wanted to be near me when they found out I was friends with Sephiroth, Angeal and Genesis – they’re _really_ popular SOLDIERs in my Gaia- and after I became a First then people wanted to hang around me. I knew it was more to do with my rank and position. I mean, not everybody did that. I have a few friends that actually like me for me, including the General and Commanders. What I’m trying to say,” Zack sighed and bounced his foot a few times, frustrated with himself for rambling on an important issue. Genesis was always on his case about that ‘ _just say what you mean and don’t beat around the bush!’_. “What I’m trying to say is…I enjoyed the fact that you got to know me a bit for me and you did not know about my rank and title. It felt nice to be…unknown for once, like an everyday person and not a SOLDIER. I really enjoyed my time with you, and I hope you felt the same.”

            When Zack stopped talking, Cloud knew it was his turn to say something. He just didn’t know what to say. He was never good at talking about his emotions; he always clammed up because he was too scared and shy to be that vulnerable. What if Zack didn’t feel whatever it was that Cloud was feeling? Cloud wanted to test the waters of their forming relationship but there was too much uncertainty right now. Still, he should help Zack patch up the mishap from before. Zack was being vulnerable, talking about his world even though Cloud was on the fence still whether to believe him or not.

           Cloud decided to go ahead and force himself to say what he was feeling. If Zack ended up laughing at him then so be it but Aerith was always telling him to take good chances, well…this seemed like a good chance as any to him. He looked Zack straight in the eye and found some apprehension in the man’s eyes. He was just as worried as Cloud. Okay…this was happening then.

            “I really enjoyed my time with you too. That ease and closeness that you described, well I’ve never been able to have that with just anyone. Even with Aerith, I mean, it was easy enough but we ran into our own bumps. With you, it was just easy back at the shop. It was a lot of fun and, well- um –I haven’t really enjoyed the attentions of another man for a long time…when you were- uh,” Cloud felt his face heating up, he was stumbling and didn’t know how to go on. Thankfully Zack understood and picked up where Cloud couldn’t continue.

            He leaned forward and placed his hand over Cloud’s. “The flirting you mean?” he slipped his fingers through Cloud’s. “I was hoping you would notice.”

            “I did.” Cloud looked at their joined hands. He was a mixed bag of emotions right now. This was happening too quickly but it had to start somewhere. They would have to get to know each other better but Cloud wouldn’t actually be opposed to going on some dates with him.

            “Well then, did it work?” The hope in Zack’s eyes and the faint nervous wobble in his voice melted Cloud’s last nervous reserves. Without thinking Cloud leaned forward and kissed Zack. It wasn’t a perfect kiss, more of a quick peck before he was pulling back. Zack was stunned for a minute by the sudden action from Cloud. Then a grin split on his face and he was leaning in to plant his own kiss on Cloud. Both laughed into the second kiss and continued laughing when Zack pulled back. “How about one date?” Zack whispered, staying close to this adorable blonde.

            Cloud was about to respond when they both heard the front door open. Aerith came practically rushing into the living room after hastily shucking off her shoes. She looked mildly frazzled, a total 180 from the two men on her couch.

            “Hi,” she sounded a bit breathless as she came into her living room and sat on the single chair that faced the couch.

            “Aer,” Cloud looked at her with concern, “can I get you something to drink. You must’ve run here from the sound of it.”

            “Just water please Cloud. Thank you.”

            Cloud left to go get her the glass of water, which left Zack and Aerith alone together. They both stared at one another for a few seconds, Aerith in bewilderment and Zack in serious concentration, as if he was sizing her up, before his face relaxed into the warm and friendly expression he usually carried around with him.

            “So,” Zack started as he leaned back, “you said you knew me. Knew I was a SOLDIER. How? When Cloud didn’t know a thing and thinks I’m a bit off my rocker.”

            “Yeah, well, please don’t freak out when I explain it to you.”

            “Anymore than I already am? Not much rattles me but this entire day has.”

            “If this is you rattled then I would hate to see you lose control.”

            Zack smirked at her attempt of lightening the mood. “I have a few people who would be mildly disappointed if I lost my control. But maybe they would give me a pass when they find out about my situation. This’ll be a damn story to tell them.”

            Aerith breathed out a nervous laugh. Cloud came back with her water and she took it from him with another thank you. After calming down a bit more she looked up at the two men staring at her expectantly. Aerith’s mind was a whirlwind of activity, trying to figure out where to start, how to piece it together, how to say it without sounding as if she didn’t know what had happened; even though that would be the truth. She didn’t know what had happened. Last night she was reading her favorite adventures, she made a wish to the Planet and eventually fell asleep. Now she was face to face with the handsome SOLDIER that she loved to read about, if it was really him. How many people looked exactly like a SOLDIER from an old fairytale book that Aerith was sure was the only one left in existence. Nobody knew about Jenova, and even less knew anything about the Cetra. Aerith knew about them all because her mother told her they came from that bloodline. Cloud knew about it because she told him at one time, he believed her. She knew this couldn’t be a prank because Cloud wasn’t that type of a person; he also wouldn’t have sounded so panicked when he called her up. This was real then, the nameless SOLDIER, Zack, was really here and the Planet had answered her request. Just in a very literal way.

            “So, last night I couldn’t go to sleep. I was still upset about you not having found a boyfriend. I know you say you’re not that lonely Cloud but your actions say otherwise. Whether it’s subconscious or not, you stay away from your home, you overwork yourself and you try to not be so alone whenever you get the chance. I wanted you to have someone that would be perfect for you. So I went to my favorite story book my mom gave me.” Aerith got up and retrieved the leather bound book. She handed it to Zack, who took it and began perusing it with great care.

            “Okay, but how does that explain me coming here?” Zack asked as he looked up at Aerith

            “The book tells of different adventures from a group called SOLDIER. SOLDIERs that were created by the Goddess to help protect the planet and to find any remaining Cetra. One of the SOLDIERs that the stories tell about is a nameless one, the one that I liked the most.” Aerith flipped through the open book in Zack’s hands until she came to a drawing of Zack himself.

            Aerith was on the edge of her seat, nervous how he would react. Cloud stared at the picture with his mouth open. He couldn’t believe it, this drawing was exactly like Zack. However, Zack himself just looked at the book in his hands. It was too much, what was going on? How?

            “I was reading this story, thinking about how much I wanted someone like you to be with Cloud. I made a wish to the Planet, I had this stone…” Aerith trailed off at that thought. The stone. The stone that her mother gave her, a wishing stone she had called it. Realization dawned on her face. “Oh no. The Planet thought I meant you specifically. I didn’t know…I didn’t think that was possible. The stone, my mother said it was a type of wishing stone from the Cetra.”

            Zack was silent throughout Aerith’s confession, he barely even heard her. He was trying to make sense of this situation that had gone from bad to just plain unreal. He was there, this fairytale story was talking about his reality. He flipped through page after page, quickly reading the stories. Most of this happened in his life but there was a lot missing.

            “Aerith,” Cloud caught her horrified look with his now calm one, “are you saying that somehow Zack came from this fairytale?”

            “Yes, I- I think so.”

            “And you believe it was done by the Planet through this stone your mother left you?”

            “I- I- I don’t see any other explanation. Why would he be here any other way? How could he be here any other way?”

            “Why would-“

             “-is missing” Aerith and Cloud caught the softly spoken words from Zack.

             “What?” Cloud asked.

             Zack was looking through the entire book, flipping through it here and there as if he was trying to find something specific. “I can’t believe so much is missing.” He repeated for them. “These adventures are only a few, but there was so much more. I lived an entire life! If I’m from this book then where is the rest of it?!”

            “I don’t know.” Aerith looked so lost; this was not how she wanted to go about it. What was she going to do now? She looked over at Cloud for help but Cloud was staring down at the floor, lost in his own thoughts. Zack was the only one staring at her, looking for answers. Answers she could not give to him.

            The tense silence went on for a while, minutes passed by where Zack shifted from pacing to flipping through the book. Aerith was trying to make sense of this herself, she was opening herself up to the Planet for an explanation, for guidance but It was silent. Cloud was the one who made the first attempt at an explanation.

            “Back in school,” he started, catching the attention of the other two, “I had this professor that spoke about dimensions and such. What if, when the Cetra wrote this story, it created its own reality or dimension? Maybe they put some magic in it, or the Goddess did or Planet, whoever. Zack is clearly real and, as out of this world this situation seems, he clearly comes from a real Gaia. Just not this one. Zack, you say that not every story or adventure is written in this book, so maybe it took on a life of its own?”

            Zack and Aerith contemplated his theory. They stayed silent for a time before Zack spoke again. “What if I can’t go back?” He asked softly.

            “If the Planet brought you here, then surely it can bring you back.” Aerith answered him, her voice full of confidence. “It has to.”

            “How could you make it listen?”

            “Well,” Aerith looked at Cloud who gave her a reassuring nod. “I come from the Cetra bloodline. I was the one who prayed for someone like you to be brought into Cloud’s life. Though, I never expected for the Planet to do it literally.”

            “That’s because there is no one else like me,” Zack said, half trying to lighten the mood and half serious. There was no mortal man like him, SOLDIERs were different, and they were chosen at birth to become the protectors of the Planet. “You’re a Cetra. They’re thought to be all gone; even most SOLDIERs don’t believe they exist anymore.”

            “I do. Just not in this book. I don’t think the remaining Cetra who wrote this ever put another Cetra into the story. It was just about SOLDIERs and their adventures.”

            “So, we have to figure out how to get Zack back into his world. Not necessarily the book. I think the Cetra who wrote this book did do something and created another world that became separate in a way. If Zack was directly from this book then wouldn’t he have disappeared from it the moment he came into our world? Instead, he’s here and the book version of him is still there. So…the book isn’t directly connected to his world. It’s almost like, I dunno, a mirror? A gateway, maybe. ”

           “I’m real then.” Zack muttered, more so trying to reassure himself from his feeling of displacement in reality.

           “Of course you are.” Cloud stood up and looked the taller man in the eye as best he could. “You’re here, you’re physical, you eat, and you drink. You’re real. We all know something weird happened and we will try to right whatever happened. The Planet needs to fix this since It started this mess.”

          “But the Planet isn’t answering me. Maybe we have to wait for it to answer? I’ll pray like I did last night? maybe that’s what I need to do. I’m not very sure.”

          Zack placed the book on the coffee table and gave a resigned nod. “So what do Cloud and I do?”

          “Nothing right now. Maybe go for a walk? Explore some things around here. You won’t be staying in this world forever Zack, I promise.” Aerith stood up and held Zack’s hands in her own. She looked him in the eyes when she made this promise.

         Zack smiled at her, he could see the sincerity in her eyes. Looking into her eyes he felt like he was calming down, it was peaceful. He wasn’t certain but he thought he could almost see the Lifestream running through those brilliant green eyes. He wasn’t going to put all of his hope into her promise but he knew she meant to try everything, he believed her.

         “I know you’ll try your best Aerith. That’s all I can hope for. If I end up being stuck here then I won’t regret it entirely. The two of you are the best people a very lost man can encounter.” He looked at Cloud. “Now, how about that date? We’ll leave the young Lady Cetra alone to do her thing and we can go out and have some fun.” His wink at the young blonde made said young blonde blush.

         “Oh?” Aerith looked between the two of them. “A date already Cloud? You move fast.” Her tease had the exact effect she wanted. Cloud’s blush grew deeper at her statement.

            “Aeeerith.” Cloud half hissed and half whined.

            Aerith giggled at his predicament, while Zack just grinned. Cloud was just too adorable to pass up. A brief sense of sadness came to him when he realized that by leaving this world he would be leaving Cloud behind too. He pushed that back however because now was the present and he intended to have some sort of fun. Aerith had to speak to the Planet so he would be taking Cloud out on that date and he knew what he wanted to do.

            “Alright, I’m taking Cloud out with me. We will see you tomorrow then?” Zack asked as he grabbed Cloud’s arm.

            “Yup. I’ll give you guys a call.”

            “A call?” Zack’s perplexed face made Aerith giggle again.

            “Phones, I’ll explain it while we are out.” Cloud said as he started walking to the door.

            “Ahkay.” Zack said as he and Cloud put their boots back on.

            They were only a few steps away from the apartment before Zack began talking about his plan for their date. He encircled an arm around Cloud’s waist and pulled him close. “So I was thinking maybe you could teach me how to ride that motorcycle of yours. Maybe we could have a fun time of sparring? I promise to go easy on you.” He said with a wink, which garnered a light scowl from the blonde.

           “Easy? I’m not a bad swordsman you know. I could probably take you.”

            “Oh, I wouldn’t bet on that Cloudy. I’ve been sword fighting since I was a kid. I have been trained by the best.”

           “I’ll take that challenge. When we get back to the shop we are going to my place to gather some things. I’ll bring us to the hills, no one will bother us there. Then we will see who beats who.”

            Zack laughed, he loved this firecracker of a blonde. Cloud had a stubborn reserve under that shy exterior. Zack bet that Cloud hardly back down from a personal challenge. He seemed to be exactly what Zack had been looking for in a partner himself. At that thought the same pang of sadness came back to him. _You’ll be leaving him behind_ , came the same thought. _‘I have no choice. My life belongs back on my Gaia, not here.’_ Zack exhaled noisily to try and dispel any sad thoughts. Thankfully, Cloud took it as a huff to his statement.

            It didn’t take long for Cloud to retrieve his bike and put his swords in their compartments. The trouble came when Zack wanted to drive the bike back to Cloud’s apartment. Cloud finally convinced the eager Zack that maybe he should be taught outside of the town where there were no pedestrians and other cars. After that, Zack climbed on behind Cloud and held onto him. Cloud didn’t think it was necessary for one of Zack’s hands to be trailing so low for support but he did his best to ignore it.

            Once they were back at Cloud apartment they gathered some food and drinks that was stored in the back seat. He drove them a few miles outside the town to the hills where a few stands called The Woods were. It was there that they stopped and turned the bike off.

            “So which do you want to do first? Learn how to ride a motorcycle or sword fighting?”

            “Motorcycle,” Came the very quick reply from Zack.

           Cloud chuckled as he removed the food and drinks and the swords, no need to have extra weight on the bike. He hid them by a log where neither would have to worry about. Cloud taught Zack the basics of riding and soon enough Zack was doing slow circles. Cloud sat behind him on the bike to help him but when he felt that Zack had enough know how, he got off to let Zack ride solo.

            Zack never faltered once and he seemed to be a natural on it. He had a wide grin on his face and kept exclaiming how cool this thing was. He went a little faster and Cloud got a little worried for his safety but Zack stayed perfectly balanced. Zack drove around for a bit before he stopped and decided he was hungry. They balanced the bike on its stand and unpacked their late lunch.

            “Thanks for that. That motorcycle was so neat. I wish we had that back on my Gaia. Imagine, motorcycles for the SOLDIERs, well maybe not all. I don’t think I could see Angeal or Sephiroth riding around on them”

            “They wouldn’t like the idea of them?”

            “I think Sephiroth would be worried about his hair tangling, it’s like super long. Angeal would find all sorts of safety issues with a fast moving vehicle on two wheels. He’s a mother hen.”

            “Ah. What about Genesis?”

            “Maybe, I don’t see why not. It would get him from point A to point B faster. I think he would love it for that. Chocobo’s can’t run at 140 miles. I think the fastest is around 70.”

            “About that, yeah. So how old are you now?”

            “I’m 27.”

            “I’m 25.” Cloud decided that he should say his age too. He wanted to get to know Zack, Zack obviously wanted to get to know him.

            “Good to know I’m not robbing the cradle,” Zack nudged him with a smile.

            “I don’t look that young!”

            “Well, you don’t look like 25. You’ve been out here in Rockettown for long?”

            “About five years. I left my hometown, Nibelheim, to go to Midgar for university. I only went back to visit my mom. Mostly she came here to Rockettown to visit me, I was able to pay her way here and when I couldn’t my Uncle Cid did. He’s my mom’s brother. I don’t like visiting Nibelheim very much, I only went back a few times. The last time was to go to her funeral.”

            “Oh, I’m sorry to hear she passed on. Why did you stay away from your hometown?”

            Cloud shrugged, he didn’t like talking about Nibelheim but thought Zack should know. “I wasn’t treated very well there. There were many bullies, my mom and I were ostracized because she was a single unwed parent and in a small town like that…well, it isn’t looked favorably on.”

            “Ah, small minded thinking. I have a friend who was raised only by his mother. His town didn’t like them too much either. He only really had one friend and they were chosen to be SOLDIERs together.”

            “Mmm. I came to Rockettown after I finished my degree in mechanics. Took a job at my uncle’s company and I’ve been here ever since. How about you?”

            “Uh, well, you know how I became a SOLDIER. I’ve always enjoyed it, it’s a perfect fit for me. I enjoy the missions most times, the people are fun, I have my family and friends. There isn’t too much for me to not be happy about. I will confess that I have been unlucky in the love scene, until now at least. At least I hope, I don’t want to overstep or anything,” Zack rushed to correct any possible mistake he might’ve made. Cloud just smiled and shook his head.

            “I hope this turns into something more as well. You heard Aerith, I haven’t been lucky in it either.”

            “Sweet,” Zack finished the last of his sandwich and leaned back on his hands. “Did you want to do that sword challenge?”

            “Yeah, just let me finish my meal. I took apart my sword so find a blade that you’re comfortable with. I’m okay with all of them so it doesn’t matter which one you choose.”

            Zack smiled, his eyes burning with excitement as he leaped up to try out the swords. In the end Zack settled with the main blade, as that was the closest one that resembled the Buster Sword he enjoyed so much. Cloud took one of the back blades that had the razor teeth edge. They found a flat enough spot to fight in and got into their stances.

            Cloud had a serious concentrated look on his face, one that reminded Zack of Sephiroth’s look when Sephiroth fought. Zack gave Cloud a cocky grin before making his move. As promise, Zack restrained from using his enhancements. It wouldn’t be fair, after all, for Cloud. Zack tested Cloud with his footwork and kata’s. He found that Cloud was pretty good for a self trained swordsman but he still found the weak points. After a few minutes of fighting, and deciding that he had pushed Cloud enough, Zack ended it. With one swift movement Zack landed Cloud on his back, taking his sword from his and pointing the tip of his blade at Cloud’s throat.

            Cloud looked up in surprise at the man, who was staring down at him with that same calm, cocky smirk. The smirk melted away into a genuine smile as Zack took away the sword and replaced it with his hand. Cloud accepted the offer and Zack lifted him up. For the second time that day Cloud was amazed by how strong Zack must really be if he could be lifted up as if he weighed nothing. It also made Cloud a little jealous and told Zack as much. Zack just laughed a bit and said that it was due to mako enhancements every SOLDIER received when they made it through training.

            They sparred for a while more before it turned into a lesson. Zack taught Cloud a few techniques and corrected him on his posture. By the end, Cloud had learned a few new things and he was extremely grateful. Zack was a fine swordsman and had no problem teaching another person.

            It was early evening when the two of them pulled up to Cloud’s apartment. Cloud had allowed Zack to drive them back to the entrance of Rockettown but he had taken over from there. Driving in an inhabited area with rules was different then in the outskirts. When they entered the apartment, Zack removed the stomach guard and placed it by the couch.

            Cloud wasn’t much of a cook but he knew how to make the simple things, like pasta. For supper they had a simple pasta dish with garlic bread. Zack and Cloud sat down to watch some TV later and it wasn’t long before Zack noticed the gaming consoles. From there Cloud taught Zack how to play a few fighting games, which Zack took to playing immediately. Zack was very good at fighting games but not so great on the racing games. Zack claimed Cloud was cheating somehow so Cloud let him choose his favorite chocobo, when Zack still lost he said it was because his hands were becoming sweaty so he couldn’t hold the controls as well. Cloud threw a pillow at him for that and it devolved into a play fight.

            Cloud was extremely happy with how the end of today turned out. Never before had he _ever_ been this comfortable with someone and never had he been able to connect with someone so quickly. Zack really was perfect for him, just as Aerith had said. Zack felt the same with Cloud, he never wanted to let go of his chocobo. The play fight ended with Zack and Cloud kissing each other a few times. Neither one pushed any further, still too nervous with the newness of their budding relationship.

            By the time night rolled around they were both tired. Cloud and Zack took separate showers and Cloud gave Zack some clothes to sleep in. Cloud offered to share his bed with Zack, the couch was too small for someone as tall as Zack to sleep on comfortably anyways.

            “Trying to get me into bed already, are we?” Zack winked at Cloud as he crawled onto one side.

            “Well, yes.” Cloud decided to go along with the joking and flirting.

            Cloud crawled into bed beside Zack. He leaned in and gave Zack a quick peck on the cheek. “Thanks for today. It was the best date I have ever had, and the most fun in a very long time.”

            It was Zack’s turn to blush and Cloud thought it looked adorable on him. “I had a lot of fun too. Thanks for teaching me how to ride your bike. I’m going to miss that when I leave here.”

            “They are convenient. That’s for sure.”

            They both spoke to one another for a bit more while they settled down to sleep. Eventually Zack and Cloud started to get sleepy and conversation became slurred words and broken sentences until they stopped altogether.

            It didn’t take long for sleep to claim Cloud; he was totally burnt out after today. So much had happened, physically, mentally and emotionally. Tomorrow they would have their breakfast, call Aerith and go from there. That was tomorrow though, now all Cloud wanted was to sleep.

            Cloud was deep in a dream, he was standing in a field of yellow and white flowers. There was a warm breeze and everything went on into the horizon. He felt strangely at peace, like he was home. He looked around until he saw a lone figure. He felt like he knew her, he should remember her name but he couldn’t. They approached each other and he could see that she had long blonde iridescent hair. She wore a smile as she looked down on Cloud.

            “Have you been happy with Zack?”

            “Yes.” Cloud replied because there was no other answer. This past day he had been very happy with Zack by his side. Happier then he could ever remember.

            “He cannot stay on your world. He is needed in his.”

            Cloud felt a tug of something, an emotion that he could not identify in this peaceful place. “But, if he can’t stay with me, then why did you bring him to me?” Cloud seemed to know instinctively at that moment that it was this woman who had brought them together.

            “Because my daughter asked it of me. I will give you a choice though. You can stay on your world, away from Zack forever. Or, you can go with him, to his world and live with him forever. However, Zack cannot remain out of his world.”

            Cloud took in the weight of his options. Was a heavy decision because no matter what he did he would be leaving someone he loves or could potentially love behind. He knew that if Zack left his life now it would just go back to what it was before and Cloud wasn’t so sure he wanted that. He wasn’t happy with his life until the prospect of Zack appeared. Someone who could meld easily with Cloud, and not feel like an intrusion in his personal space. “If I go, I will be leaving Aerith and my aunt and uncle behind. Could Aerith come with me? She’s a Cetra, she would be perfect on that world.”

            “That decision belongs to her alone. As I am with you now Cloud, I am also with her. Will you stay or will you go with Zack?”

            “I want…I want to be with Zack, I think. I was so happy with him. I’ll go, go with Zack.”

            The woman smiled at him and placed her palm on his forehead. Cloud felt warmth spread through his entire body, and then everything was black.

            There was a sudden banging on a door that startled both Zack and Cloud awake. In the confusion Zack didn’t even notice that he was no longer in Cloud’s bedroom. He stumbled out of his bed and to the door, opening it to come face to face with a very worried looked Angeal.

            “Zackary! Where have you been? You vanished for an entire day. We were looking all over for you but nobody had seen you. Where did you go?”

            Zack stared at Angeal, wide eyed and his mouth slightly open. Slowly, he turned to look at his bed to find an equally puzzled and slightly frazzled looking Cloud, his sleep tussled hair slightly wilder looking now. Zack turned back to look at Angeal.

            “Um…long story?”

            “Get dressed; I expect to hear an explanation.”

            Zack closed the door and was about to say something to Cloud when they heard a female scream. Zack heard Genesis’s voice shouting to Zack from behind the door.

            “Zack! Why is there a strange woman in your place? What is going on!?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

           

 


End file.
